Ask.com recently released the top trending search and corresponding questions for 2012 around celebrities, news and politics. With so many crazy headlines this past year, Ask probed Americans' thoughts about 2012's biggest news stories and determined which stories were asked about the most.

According to a new study from Pearl.com, 54% of survey respondents have lied to a doctor about a health issue, and 63% admit they are more likely to ask about sensitive topics such as sex and STDs online, rather than addressing them face-to-face in the doctor's office.

According to a new survey, "The Spending Study: A Look at How Corporate America Invests in Branded Content for 2012," by the Custom Content Council and ContentWise, brand content is getting a bigger slice of the marketing pie: a 13% increase, or $1,640,107 in spending for the last two years. 79% of marketers are now reporting that their companies are shifting into branded content either at a moderate or aggressive pace. 52% of companies reported that they outsourced some portion of at least one type of branded content creation in 2012.

According to the recent BIA/Kelsey forecast, U.S. social media ad revenues will reach $9.2 billion in 2016, up from $4.6 billion in 2012, representing a compound annual growth rate of 19.2 percent. According to the U.S. Local Media Forecast, the local segment of U.S. social media advertising revenues will grow from $1.1 billion in 2012 to $3 billion in 2016

According to the current report from the Radio Advertising Bureau, consistent with Q1 and first-half performance, Radio advertising posted moderate 1% growth through the first three quarters of 2012. Digital spending was up 7% for the period, followed by a 2% gain in Off-Air; Spot was flat.

According to Coupons.com, and Dr. Paul J. Zak, Professor of Neuroeconomics at Claremont Graduate University, the results of a recent study, combined with the findings of other research, suggest that coupons can directly impact happiness of people, promote positive health, and increase the ability to handle stressful situations.

According to a new study from Ooyala, "Q3 2012 Video Index," long-form Video TV is no longer a single screen in the living room. Viewers today are watching long-form premium content on a variety of connected devices. Tablets are quickly becoming the "first screen" people turn to when streaming TV shows, movies and sporting events. This is true in developing markets, and even in households with traditional televisions.

According to a recent Nielsen report, The State of the Asian American Consumer, over the past decade, the Asian American population has grown at double-digit rates in 49 out of the 50 states while population growth in the non-Hispanic White segment is slowing.

According to a new study by IBM, middle management leaders are struggling to embrace social initiatives as part of their day-to-day work. The survey of 1,160 business and IT professionals shows that while 46% of the organizations increased their investments in social technologies in 2012, only 22% believed that managers are prepared to incorporate social tools and approaches into their daily practices.